Social networks have greatly elevated the breadth and intimacy of electronic communication between computer users over the Internet. For example, using a social network, a computer user may connect with friends, family members, classmates, colleagues or other known or unknown computer users who share a common trait, interest or experience with him or her, even if the users have never met before or are unlikely to ever meet in the future. Computer users may also publish information (including text, images, videos or other media) regarding their preferred activities or interests to select audiences or the general public over a social network. Furthermore, where a computer user identifies his or her background, interests or other commonalities to a social network, the social network may search for and identify other users who share the same or similar backgrounds, interests or commonalities with that user, and encourage the users to connect with one another over the social network.
Social networks typically provide smooth, easy-to-use and functional interfaces that may be customized to their members' respective levels of experience or interest, and may enable such members to fluidly share information with one another, or to learn more about one another, irrespective of the physical distance between them. Most social networks permit their members to enter, or post, information regarding themselves, their current or preferred activities or interests, or timely topics of interest. Additionally, most social networks also permit members to express their opinions on or preferences for particular issues or topics, and to provide comments or media relating to information entered or posted by themselves or by other members. With the advent and rapid proliferation of mobile communication technology, members may now access social networks from not only desktop or laptop computers, but also tablet computers and wireless telephones, or “smartphones,” in virtually any location where access to the Internet is available. For each of these reasons, social networks have become wildly popular among computer users: it is presently estimated that the world's largest social network, Facebook®, has approximately one billion unique members, while the microblog Twitter® and the professional network LinkedIn® have approximately two hundred million members apiece, and the upstart Google+™ network claims to have reached the one hundred million member mark just fifteen months after its initial launch.
Given the public's widespread adoption of social networking, owners or operators of other websites have now taken steps to incorporate social networks and related features into their websites, thereby expanding the theoretical reach of social networks from their home pages to those of other, unrelated websites. For example, many social networks now permit businesses or other entities to join as members, and to publish information to their respective connections, in the same manner as a human member. Furthermore, many blogs or sports, news or commercial websites that invite commentary from users through standard means (i.e., the entry of text into text boxes or the posting of images) now permit visitors to such blogs or websites to provide comments through their respective social networking accounts, such that the comments may be made available on such blogs or websites, and also in one or more postings on their social networking accounts. Moreover, many such blogs or websites now permit users to express their interest in or preference for features on such blogs or websites through their social networking accounts, such as by providing clickable or selectable features on their blogs or websites that are consistent with or identical to such features on the social network websites, or by enabling users to circulate links to the blogs or websites to their friends or connections across the social network with a touch of a button.